Our mate Kees Bubberman has just started packaging all his beers into cans, and the Hazy Sunrise is one of the first we’ve received. (You might be getting another style in your December packs!)
The beer is labelled as a ‘New England IPA’, though I’d be much happier in calling it a ‘hazy IPA’. But what’s a bandwagon for if not jumping on at the first chance?
It is mildly hazy, with a big foamy white head through which the lovely tropical aromas of the Citra, Mosaic and Loral hops filter through. The early fruit sweetness is quickly balanced and then overtaken with a solid hop bitterness. Held against some of the North American NEIPA’s I’ve had the good fortune to taste, I couldn’t call this ‘tropical juice’ though.
It is the sustained level of bitterness that really makes me not want to call this beer a NEIPA. Much like many of the Australian versions, the perceived bitterness is too forward. That said, it is a lovely beer to drink in its own right.
And most importantly, (some Australian breweries please take note) no bags of flour were drowned in the making of this NEIPA!